899 Moving to Phoenix
Li Du had never expected things to turn out like this. His plan was just to repurchase the motorcycle that he had sold and gift it to Bruce to encourage him and reward him for the good deeds he had done.
In the end, not only had Bruce received the motorcycle as encouragement, but there was also someone who was willing to take him out of the slums. What's more, that person was an actor with a great reputation. Obviously, he was not just simply talking, he was really helping.
Just like that, the chance of a lifetime had unexpectedly appeared.
Christian promised that he would take care of Bruce until he came of age. Until then, he would assist Bruce in taking care of Mini Donkey and his other buddies. Not only could Bruce escape the living hell of Salem Harbor, the little buddies whom he cared for could escape, too.
Li Du left his contact details with Bruce so he could call him if he needed any help. He would help Bruce whenever he could.
The charity event had completely ended, and it had ended beautifully.
Chris Bell took Li Du to his flight back to Flagstaff. He expressed his satisfaction with Li Du as he said, "I will call you for sure when I organize my next charity event." Li Du agreed to that because helping others felt really good.
The airplane took off, and they returned to Flagstaff once again, preparing to move to Phoenix.
Luo Qun had already transferred to Phoenix. She had moved over there once her transfer letter was approved. She was eager to find out the details about the main culprit who murdered her family.
Sophie had also resigned from her job. She packed up all her daily necessities from her house, some of which she would bring to Phoenix and some would stay behind for her parents to take care of.
There was still a little tail to bring along to Phoenix. It was Victoria. The little girl was almost devastated when she found out that they were leaving Flagstaff for good and might not come back. Godzilla decided to adopt her, but the application was in Sophie's parents' names, as he was not qualified to adopt a young girl.
Victoria and Godzilla were really close. Since they first met, Godzilla had a special feeling about her. Of course, it was the type of feeling like a big brother would have for his little sister. Godzilla was not a pervert.
Just like that, he adopted Victoria, so she could follow them to Phoenix. Li Du felt that this arrangement was pretty good. Little Miss Victoria was smart, hardworking, kind, and she was a good friend to Ivana, too. The two of them would not be lonely as they could keep each together company.
With a truck, a pickup, and two cars, the whole group brought along a bunch of essentials and went to Phoenix.
Chen Haonan, who was doing nothing in Phoenix, found out that they were moving to the city. He was so happy that he drove his Ferrari out to meet up with them. In the end, he called when he was halfway there. Unfortunately, things had turned sour. His Ferrari had gotten into an accident. He was driving too fast and collided with a pickup as he was accelerating. He had to spend a lot of money on repairs.
Without meeting up with Chen Haonan, Li Du and the gang went straight into Phoenix to look for a place to live. This was difficult because they were now a pretty big family, and not everyone was working in the city. Hence, the place they were renting needed to have many rooms, a good environment, and be convenient for living. As for transportation and job opportunities, they did not have too many requests. Considering their needs, a villa in the suburbs would be their best option.
The rehabilitation facility where Ivana was staying was in the suburbs. After Li Du, Hans, and Sophie discussed it, they felt that the villa should be close to the rehabilitation facility, so that Ivana could stay at home when she started her treatments.
Sophie and Li Du searched for houses online while Hans, Lu Guan, and the others began searching around the area in their cars for houses on the streets and in the villa area.
Hans meant to buy a villa, but Li Du was not interested. He did not want to settle down in Phoenix, so why would he buy a villa?
The security in Phoenix was not as good as it was in Flagstaff. An empty villa would most definitely be broken into by thieves if it was left alone for too long. Moreover, they would have to pay property tax if they bought a house. This tax was not a problem for Li Du, but since it was not necessary, why would he want to make more trouble for himself?
As for buying a house and then renting it out? Li Du had no intention of doing that, as the property market was not that hot in Phoenix, so it would not be a good investment.
The rehabilitation facility where Ivana was staying was called Narcissus Rehabilitation Center. It was a high-class facility located in the Green River Valley area, which was a famous tourist spot in Phoenix.
Phoenix was also known by its Navajo name, Hoozdo, which in the Navajo language meant, "a hot place." This place was surrounded by deserts, so it was really hot. The Green River Valley was one of the exceptions. There was a river snaking through the area, and there was a lot of green and luscious vegetation. The living environment was slightly better there.
There were also many vineyards and wine estates in the vicinity. There was even a wine trail that had lush old vines along both sides and a wine cellar hidden deep inside a vineyard. If one was willing to pay some money, then one could enjoy some locally fermented wine as they strolled along this trail.
Due to the fact that this was a tourist spot, the property market was relatively developed. There were many villa areas developed and maintained, and most of them were available to rent.
After Li Du searched through the internet, he received a few replies on his inquiries about villa rentals. He and Sophie called back and arranged to view the villas that same day.
These villas were not too far apart, and the owners were mostly living away or working in the downtown Phoenix area, so it was inconvenient for them to stay there. Hence, they were renting them out.
The two of them looked at four or five houses in a row, but they were not completely satisfied. Either the house was too small, and there were not enough rooms, or the style was not grand enough, and it did not make them feel like they would be comfortable living in it.
Right now, Li Du did not lack money, but he did lack a big lump sum. He needed at least $10,000,000 or even up to $1,000,000,000 to purchase the little island. However, he did have enough to cover smaller expenses, such as rental fees. That was why he wanted to spend a little more on renting a better house, so they could live more comfortably.
Hans came back in the car. Once he saw Li Du sweating heavily and looking impatient, he laughed out loud. "Hey buddy, after going for a spin out in the heat, what do you think of the weather in Phoenix?"
Li Du sighed. "I miss Seagull Island."
"What's the problem? Didn't see anything you like?" Hans asked.
Li Du took out the printed information, showed Hans, and told him what the shortcomings were of each of those villas.
Hans snapped his fingers and said, "Follow me. We found a few pretty good options."
The Green River Valley was very long, but not all of the places had water. However, the villa that Hans had found was built along the waterfront. A place like that had better views, and of course, the rental was more expensive. Unfortunately, after seeing the first three houses, Li Du did not like any of them.
It was now evening, and just as Li Du was getting depressed, Cole suddenly called. They had been discussing renting a place in Phoenix earlier and coincidentally, Cole knew of a pretty good villa there, so he sent them the address and contact details.
It was difficult to refuse such kindness, so Li Du brought everyone along and went over to take a look. Once they got out of the car, he had a good impression of the house. This villa was in a quiet spot within a busy area. It was located on the side of a main road, but there was a small hill covered in luscious greenery between the house and the road. Even if there were cars passing by on the road, they could not hear much noise.